Very interesting plot and deftly woven by Berry to combine current issues with the debate of where Alexander the Great was buried. I was just shy of considering this a great book due to the characters being slightly on the thin side in terms of development, but overall a good read and worth the time. ( )

So many plot twists and unknowns. The mystery in here was kinda neat (although not generally in my history wheelhouse), but I was getting tired of all the various subplots and lack of information. If people would just freaking tell each other what was going on (on the side of the good guys... I get the "bad" guys plotting), that would have been better. I'm hoping for a bit more character development, although some nice revelations came about.

Also, the medical storyline left me feeling kind of "meh". Nice dream, but so far from reality. Then again, so is a united Central Asia. ( )

After some disappointment with book 2 of the Cotton Malone series, I was glad to see more historical fiction back into the story on this, the third book. It helps that the historical subject was one of my favorites: Alexander the Great. Part of the story line includes the 2000-year mystery of what became of his body.

Cotton's friend Henryk watches his Copenhagen museum burned by what turns out to be "Greek fire", the medieval weapon whose recipe was lost after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Henryk had the foresight to remove his priceless artifacts and replace everything with counterfeits, so aside from the building, nothing was actually lost. It turns out that this arson was connected to the leader of the Central Asian Republic, a fictional coalition of all of the 'stans (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, etc.) She is collecting "Elephant medallions" of which 8 are known to exist. These coins were minted after Alexander the Great's victories in Indian, commemorating the extent of his empire. The medallions, however, have a microengraving that point to a secret the chairwoman is intent on uncovering.

Meanwhile, an intersecting story line includes a shadow group called the Venetian League. A group of rich illuminati, they exert influence throughout the world. One of these are working on a cure for AIDS, of interest to the chairwoman after a former lover is found to have the disease.

To me this is a bit of a confusing book.First of all there are lots of characters who all pursue a goal, but not necessarily the same. Then there are side line characters who meddle with whom should be conducting a certain part of the investigation, who even manipulate. Characters that are 'good', oh no, they're "bad", and then eventually maybe be good again. The many storylines muddled the plot for me: I found it hard to understand why they sometimes went here, then there. Dependencies were listed as "someone owing another a favor', but were not further explained or characterized, making that the whole transaction of calling in a favor remained shadowy.Traps were seen by one of the victims, but had to be explained by the author, because in the storyline there was no reason why that character should have seen through the deception, let alone how.

This was my first book by Steve Berry. I don't think I'll be picking up another book by him anytime soon (if ever). ( )

Wikipedia in English (1)

In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place–unknown to this day–remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone–former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer–will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game.

After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength.

And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history’s ultimate conqueror. Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great–in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years.

Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces allied against them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people–depending on who finds the lost tomb first.

A miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great--in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years--is the coveted prize for a cunning despot unless Cotton Malone, former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer, can beat her to it.… (more)